During Friday night dinner, I asked Brett about him, playing it off as if I wasn’t noticing it on a daily basis. Basically, Grey was telling him that he’d been staying at Jet’s for a little while. What bothered me more was that he didn’t seemed concerned that his son was staying about five minutes away from his own house. Brett was a lenient parent and I could easily see why Grey got to do whatever he wanted. He simply didn’t have a parent to monitor him.
My mom would allow me to do things as long as I informed her of everything I did, and at times, like the situation with moving in with Liam once I got in Sydney, I had to ask for permission first.
After two weeks of not seeing him at all, I started to really worry. Even at school, he was a no show. Everyone was the same—acted as if nothing were different—but I knew, for Grey to be gone for this long, something was up.
During a meal, I contemplated contacting him. Even when I was in bed, ready to sleep, my conscience was eating me alive. Reaching for my phone, I decided to bite my pride and reach out to the man himself.
Me:Where are you? Are you okay?
I stared at my phone for most of the night, hoping I’d get a response, but to no avail. I wasn’t sure if I should give him a call or pester him with text messages until I got a reply… however I wasn’t that kind of person. If Grey didn’t respond, it could only mean that he didn’t want to and couldn’t be bothered with me.
What should I do? Should I just go to sleep? Or should I do something, like call him or something even more drastic than that…? Like maybe go to Jet’s house and ask if I could talk to him?
Okay, it was a Friday night… there was going to be a party—there always was.
Texting Josie, I asked if she was doing anything tonight. Three minutes later, she told that she was in a party, with Greyson around.
Great. My friend was informative. I hadn’t had to elaborate what my intention was because my best friend had known. Josie and I communicated in a different way, a way where I didn’t have to explicitly explain everything to her, and the same went for me when she needed my help. That’s why our relationship worked. We were two of a kind.
Just when I was about to start the car, I get another text from her.
Josie:Hey hun, I’m leaving the party, but he’s in Jet’s pool house. He’s been staying in the other bedroom. He comes out once in a while. Just saw him once, though. He looks rough. Be safe. Love you.
Grey looked rough? Define rough? Rugged rough? Or rough like he hadn’t showered in days kind of rough?
Replying to Josie’s text, I hurried my response.
Me:Wait up. I need backup. Moral support. Please?
Gearing up my car, I shoved the phone on the side of the seat and drove off. I saw the great advantage of fast cars. Five minutes didn’t even crack for me. I made it in three.
Parking right behind the long line of cars, I rushed to gather my phone and my purse before locking the vehicle and going inside Jet’s sprawling house.
His home sat on top of a hill. It had a modern design with glass everywhere. The pool house also used the same concept with two bedrooms. Most guys in my school stayed in their pool house. Not only was it convenient, it provided just enough privacy to party away from prying eyes.
From the looks of things though, the main house was full of people, too. That could only mean one thing; Jet’s parents weren’t home.
He had one older brother, but I’d heard he was studying on the East Coast. The large mansion was dark other than a few glow-in-the-dark lights, which lit up the house in a soft glow. They differentiated from blue, yellow, purple, green, orange—basically anything bright and colorful, it was there.
It took a full minute or so for my eyes to accommodate to the psychedelic flash of colors.
Noting the unknown crowd, no wonder the party was full. They must’ve had the entire south of the boulevard schools there. People squashed and pressed against me as I walked along. My ears were ringing from the loud thump of the bass-based house music. I was just squeezing past an overeager dry-humping couple when I saw him.
Sure he looked rough, but it only added to his sexiness. His hair was a tad longer with a little scruff on the side. His back was to me with two girls right before him. Both of his arms braced the women as they talked closely to each other. If one of the girls would say something to make him laugh, he would face to the side and release that deep-bellied laugh.
Even though I stood a few feet away from them, his laugh lingered in me. It affected me in a way I hadn’t expected it to; like something had been taken from me.
After half a month of not seeing him, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to tell him. Sure I wanted to talk, but now that I was here, I wasn’t sure what to say. Most especially after I had harshly pushed him away.
Reaching out to him would be the first step, the rest I could play along later. First I had to get his attention, though.
Stepping closer with jittery legs, I cleared my throat.
“Grey?” I called after him, and when he spun around, his easy smile vanished in a flash. “Can I have a minute?”
He looked away as if he couldn’t bare glancing in my direction. “I’m busy,” he finally managed to say before walking away with both women chasing behind him, losing me in the crowd.
I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt someone grip the side of my arm, and when I checked who it was, it was Josie with a worried face on.